This trial is the perfect intersection of sex, crime and celebrity. It makes
it very much one-of-a-kind for the media.
~ Jonathan Wilcox
We are
really excited by the intersection between great content and
great technology.
~ Bob Iger
We are
the intersection of inanimate objects and people. If we don't
find ways to invite and engage as many people as possible, then we have failed.
~ Michael
Shapiro
Hawaii is
an amazing place for looking at the intersection of ecology
and culture.
~ Larkspur
Morton
Like our
readers, we're also the ones to whom the events happened, at once narrator and
subject. The intersection of these two roles has been
excruciating.
~ Jim
Amoss
If you
live here and you see wreck after wreck after wreck, you think about that every
time you're in that intersection.
~ Denise
Miller
The Room and the intersection
The intersection begins to become the main component in the navigation through the room - essentially it becomes the anti-corridor. The intersection is challenging the restricted condition of the 'doughnut' Hermitage museum layout. Not necessarily related anymore but the Hermitage has acted as a starting point for this investigation.
The room has many facets all of
which can be experienced through a combination of choices made by the visitor. At each intersection the visitor is confronted
by 4 (but not limited to) main emotions.
1 COLLISION 2 ATTRACTION 3 CONFUSION
4 DIVERSION
Links between paths (collections) can be made either by their
non-connection or by complete connection between each other prompt the viewer
to decide his trajectory. Therefore depending on the personal reading of the
intersection, the trajectories through the room(s) change each time.
Intersection does not have to be limited to forwards,
backwards, left or right but also upwards and downwards. An intersection can be
a connection between two or more paths.
InterSEXtions AND THE CITY (or Universe)
The cube is in interesting investigation into navigation. What
if one zoomed out and the scale changed allowing the potential of more cubes to be added to the
original one. These new cubes could then be re-read as the new intersections.
For example - the moments or emotions mentioned above are contained within one
room - this in itself gives it its own identity and they therefore make up one
element. Although the content of the cube does not have to be all of one
subject or collection, the fact that they have been put together somehow implies a link.
When 2 or more cubes are connected, they created
intersections between two autonomous worlds - essentially uniting two very separate
worlds which may connect or clash in one way or another. Constantly adding new rooms (aka worlds) contributes to the expansion
and diversity of the universe so to speak into an limitless landscape or skyscape of interconnecting worlds. Arguably strongly related to theory of the Manhattan grid whereby in each plot of land, there was the freedom to build anything creating a diverse landscape of buildings all connected by a single network of roads.
So how does the cube differ from the Hermitage Doughnut?
Essentially within the cube exists a limited amount of
navigation as with the doughnut. However the doughnut corridor confines the
viewer to a repetition of the experience during every visit. Whenever the visitor returns he is forced to pass
through the same spaces. With the cube, every journey can be different if the
viewer so wishes or gains a different understanding of the spaces from the previous visit.
3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.
During my presentation I used two models to explain the
existing state and the re-con of the hermitage.
The Hermitage Current Condition - Long Enfilades which dictate the visitors trajectory.
Fragmented Hermitage 1 - Choices of movement (view from above)
Fragmented 2
The first model was a perspective model emphasising the
linearity of the Hermitage museum and how the experience of the former palace
building has been pre-determined by the Architect and the curator. There is one
entrance and one exit which does not give the visitor much freedom during his
visit.
The second model was an attempt to rearrange the rooms
within the hermitage on a more City like grid. This gives the visitor much more
freedom to make choices and wonder where - or derive. The idea of crossroads,
dead-ends, small side streets have been loosely implemented in the model.
The jury questioned the relationship of my grid-city with
the city of St. Petersburg and why I decided to use US cities as precedent. The
main reason for this was order, clarity and the possibility to create cross
roads. But I think that the layout should be much more defined.
SUGGESTIONS:
The jury suggested that I start thinking more about
literal city elements and how they
can be used in the project. For example; Large Halls, Courtyards, Underground
networks, Alley-ways, Dead-Ends Parks, High Streets, Empty Buildings. The City as does the museum triggers an array
of emotions. I should begin to look at how these experiences can be achieved and
how they can translate from the museum into the city and visa versa - Intimacy
with art, Grandeur of art, Hidden art, Interactive art
Since I reorganised the museum it was important to think
about the Collection and the ways in
which it can be organised; Original Regional Location, Type of art, Size, Chronology
of Collection, Chronology of production, Fragility, Popularity.
Maria suggested create scenarios / or stories to bring in
the next stages of the hermitage. The hermitage has seen a series of leadership
throughout Russian History...
What if the collection was stolen?, Live in the museum
for 3 years to see all the collection, Revolution - back to Communism?
Anarchy?, Squatters / Homeless shelter?
Charles Compare Movie Russian Arc - filmed in one
continuous shot with New City-Hermitage and how it could be filmed - this is an
interesting idea. The Russian arc was filmed in one continuous shot to
emphasise the singularity of the trajectory throughout the museum. If the
museum was fragmented with endless routes the film could potentially be in stop
motion, or something that represents this.
The Hermitage, like many large museums has created a series of routes
for people that have designated a limited amount of time. These include the
highlights, the half day route, The 3 day route etc. An interesting thought
would be how to re-invent these. What about the 3 year route to see everything?
Maybe one of the reasons it should be redesigned is in order to make these
trips easier? quicker? more enjoyable? Consume more art in less time?
Consume art while visiting the city?
Rather than the Hermitage being the location which houses the art it
could become a hotel, storage facility, and the city could then become the
museum - An interesting idea would be to literally take the exhibitions and
place then within the fabric of the city so that consumption of art would take
place simultaneously with touring St. Petersburg. Town halls could house Large pieces
of art whilst small side street shops could contain intricate ornaments in
their shop windows. Different bus lines could be different collections. These
are all thoughts but could be an interesting way of how we could use the actual
city as a museum.
Currently working on Updated model
Observations of the Hermitage museum made it evident that although it exhibits art both from different periods of history as well as from different continents, it seems as though the sheer size of the museum takes away from the prominence of the collection that it contains.
In the image on the left, do you even notice the exhibit on first glance?
Large rooms with the artefacts spread out cause them to 'get lost' in the space. In some cases the awesomeness of the interior spaces completely distracts the attention away from the art that it exhibits. The disorientating Labyrinth that is the Hermitage also gradually diverts the visitors attention to a realisation of physical exhaustion.
Another issue is the separation between the collection and
the building. The Hermitage is richly significant in Russian history and
culture. The building alone stood witness to many landmark Russian historical
and cultural events and in many instances has entirely no relationship with its
collection for example the Islamic art collection.
Noticeably there are pockets of neutral areas scattered throughout the Hermitage which consist of no historical or cultural relevance and it is in these spaces - the attic, the basements, large storage closets where I will try to create explosions of excitement through a condensation of the exhibits into smaller spaces.
I will look at O.M Unger's essay in greater depth and
attempt to understand, challenge and dismantle his theories by looking at the
room as an entity and not merely a small component of the wider picture. I will think about turning the hermitage into
an extension of public space and of the urban fabric.
Hermitage basement where the art could be exhibited. This montage is a quick sketch and the concept needs to be refined.
